Automatic timer for automobiles



G. M. BREWER.

AUTOMATIC TIMER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9,1919.

Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

GMBMWW' INVENTOR ATTOR EY,

Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

UNITED STATES G11 M. BREWER, OF SYLVIA, KANSAS.

AUTOMATIC TIMER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed October 9, 1919. Serial No. 329,474.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Grrr M. Bnnwnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scylvia, in the county of Reno and State of I. ansas, have invented a new and useful Automatic Timer for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to automatic timers for automobiles, and its object is to provide a timer, especially adapted for use in connection with the Ford automobile, although not necessarily confined thereto, which will cause the advance of the spark as the engine speed increases and the retardation of the spark as the engine speed lowers.

The invention is designed for attachment to the standard timer of the Ford automobile by means of a minimum change in the number of parts and a minimum change in the structure, the major portion of the parts of the standard Ford timer being retained whereby such timer, which as constructed must be manually adjusted, becomes automatic in action.

In accordance with the invention the body portion of the timer, which. in the standard equipment of the Ford is mounted to rock about the longitudinal axis of the tuner shaft, is held stationary by suitable devices which may be added while the usual presser spring for maintaining the body portion in place is retained, thus permitting ready access to the interior of the timer as needed. In place of the usual roller brush there is provided an elastic centrifugal brush supplemented by a centrifugal inertia meml'ier so arranged and limited in, movement that the brush on. rotating within the timer body or casing will progressively accelerate on an increase of speed to com. s tiondingliy change the time of contact or on a decrease of speed will have the time of contact retarded, the parts being properly proportioned for the purpose. In this manner the control of the engine, so far as the advancing and retarding of the spark is concerned, is automatic and dependent upon the speed of the engine while the power of the engine is varied by the manual control of the quantity of fuel supplied to the engine.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing formingpart of this specification, with the understamling,

however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showin of the drawing, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modihcations marl: no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing F lgure 1 is a rear elevation of the timer with the invention applied and showing the timer shaft in cross section.

F igure 2 is a face view of the timer shown in Figure 1, together with certain structures omitted from F igure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure 2, with some parts broken away.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4tft of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the contact brush.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a governor weight used in conjunction with the brush shown in Figure 5.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a shell or casing 1, which, if the timer be a standard Ford timer, is of cylindrical form, with a dome extension 2 to accommodate certain parts. lVithin the cylindrical portion of the shell there is secured a ring 3 of insulating material such as vulcanized fiber, and extending axially into the dome portion 2 is a portion of a shaft 4 comprising a continuation of the usual timer shaft. Seated in the fiber ring are contact segments which in the Ford timer are four in mun her and arranged with their inner faces. that is those toward the timer shaft at, con centric with the latter and in. equi distant spacing one with respect to the other. Each segment is provided with a, screw stem 6 extending hrough the ring 3 and shell 1 and having exterior to the latter a nut 7 between which and the shell there is interposed an insulating collar 8. The stem 6 forms part of a binding post whereby conductors from the ignition system of the engine are secured to the timer.

Fast to the shell 1 is an arm 9 and this may be the arm that is usually supplied with the Ford timer for controlling the shell and adjusting it axially to determine the position of the shell as desired and thereby correspondingly affect the time of ignition in the manner customary in the Ford automobile. Attached at one end to the arm 9 is one end of a link 10, such end being an angle end indicated at 11 to pass through the arm 9, said arm being a custernary adjunct of the casing 1. The link 10 remote from the angle end 11 is screwthreaded and is passed through another link 12, in turn secured to a post 13 forming part of the timer assembly of the engine. The threaded end of the link 10 extends to opposite sides: of that portion of the link 12 through which it passes and lock nuts 14 applied to the threaded end of the link l0 serve to adjust and hold the two links so that the timer casing l is permanently, though. adjustably secured in position and after being once set requires no further attention.

In. the timer structure of the Ford automobile the timer casing l is held against the front end of the engine casing by a spring arm 15 secured at one end to the post 13 and at the other end bearing against the dome portion 2 of the casing l. In order to stilt en the parts the crown of the dome may he cut or slotted, as shown at 16, to receive the corresponding end of the arm 15, thus holdthe shell 1 in place and preventing accidental displacement thereof through shocks and jars imparted thereto in the running of the engine and vehicle.

Secured to the timer shaft l is a sleeve 17 shown separately in Figure 5 and also appearing in Figures 1 and a. The sleeve 17 is connected to the shaft l by a pin or key 18 or in any other appropriate manner whereby the sleeve is constrained to rotate with the shaft similarly to the standard Ford timer assembly. Fast to the sleeve by a rivet 19 or in other appropriate manner in one end of a volute flat spring strip 20, the other end of which has secured to it a brush. or contact 21 which may he in the form of a block or be otherwise appropriately shaped the spring 20 being of sufficient length so that when installed in the timer shell it will travel along the inner periphory of the ring 3 pressing 'tl'iereagainst with suitable force so that it may make good. contact with the segments Such contact is improved by rounding that face of the block 21 which engages the inner faces of the ring 3 and the exposed faces of the segments Secured to and radially projecting from the sleeve 17 is a yoke 22 through which the spring strip 20 is passed, the yoke serving as a stop for orevcnting outward movementof the contact brush 21 beyond. a certain extent and also guiding the strip so as to pre vent side-sway thereof. Between the spring and the sleeve 17 there- .is located a governor weight orhlock 23 at one end of an arm the other end of the arm having oppositely projecting pins 25 formed thereon to seat iii notches 26 located at the base portion of the yoke 22. stud 27' projecting from the sleeve l? confines the pins 25 in the notches 26. In this manner the governor weight 23 is confined between the sleeve and the spring and when the parts are rotated with sufiicient speed the weight or block .43 tends to move away from the L XlS of rotation and, bearing against the spring 20, forces the latter in a direction to cause the brush 21 to move forwardly or in the direction of rotation. This results in advancing the time of contact of the brush 21 with. the segments 5, thereby producing the same result which is ordinarily accomplished manually by the operation known as advancing the sparking.

Tillie parts are so pro iiortioned that when the timer shaft is at rest or is moving slowly the brush or block 2]. is related. to the m nts 5 in such manner that the time of contact corresponds to a fully retarded spark. Then as the speed of ti e engine increases centrifugal force acting upon the brush or block 21 tends to move such block further away from the axis of rotation but such movement cannot occur because restricted the inner wall of the ring The result is that the reaction of centrifugal force upon the brush or block 21 causes such block to take a more advanced position so that it on gages a segment 5 in its path sooner than would occur if the arm or strip 20 were rigid, so that contact between the block or brush 2i and the segments 6 takes pl ce relatively sooner than when the rotation is slower and the centrifugz l force is weaker. The spark is therefore automatically advanced to an extent corresponding to the increased speed of the timer shaft.

For mechanical reasons the parts are made as durable as feasible, and the spring arm or strip 20 is made relative y heavy thereby imparting to it a greater stiffness lion would be advisable were it not for the desired durability of the structure. To overcome the stiffness is the purpose of the governor weight 23 which will respond with honsii ablo force to the rapid rotation of the timer shaft when the engine is running at cOl'lSlflerahle speed. Under the last named condi tions the governor weight or block 53 3 is caused. to bear against the inner face of the strip 26 at a suitable point between the ends of the strip to augment the effect of the centrifugal force on the block 21. and so throw the contact brush or block 21 forwardly in the direction of rotation and accomplish the advancing of the spark. course, whenev r the engine slows down the parts return toward their initial position due to the action of the spring strip 20 which, as the centrifugal force is reduced, contracts toward the axis of rotatiom thereby n'iovino the contact block 21 and the governor weight 23 backward with relation to the position into which they were forced hv the iricreased speed of rotation. U

It is not needful that the links 10 and 12 be employed or be employed in the manner shown in the drawing, for the shell 1 may be held against rotative movement in any suitable manner. For economical reasons it is advisable to utilize the ordinary equip ment of the automobile engine as far as ssible and to avoid changes in the standard equipment so far as may be. This is the reason for providing the links 10 and 12 and the depression 16. Consequently the invention contemplates the conversion of the standard type of timer into one embodying the invention by providing the links 10 and 12 connected for longitudinal adjustment in order to set the timer properly without regard to the ordinary spark controlling lever and to change the construction of the shell 1 to the extent of permitting the seating of the holding end of the spring arm 15 therein so that the shell cannot be rotated about the axis of the timer shaft, and also providing a new form of timer brush consisting of the sleeve 17, the spring strip 20 carried thereby and furnished with a contact block 21, and the COIltIOlliIlg yoke 22 and governor block 23, such parts replacing the standard sleeve and contact roller of the timer.

What is claimed is 1. In a timer for explosion engines pro vided with a rotatable timer shaft, a relatively fixed series of contacts corresponding in number to the cylinders of an engine, and a rotatable centrifugal contact device provided with an elongated elastic mounting to one end of which the rotatable contact device is secured and the other end of which is secured to the timer shaft in surrounding trailing relating thereto.

2. An automatic timer for explosion engines provided with a timer shaft, comprising a circular series of contacts fixed against rotary movement, and a rotatable contact in operative relation to the fixed contacts and provided with an elastic mounting fixed at one end to the timer shaft and having a volute continuation encircling the timer shaft and yieldable to centrifugal force to project the rotatable contact against the fixed contact in accordance with such centrifugal force.

3. An automatic timer for explosion engines, comprising a circular series of contacts held against rotative movement, a rotatable contact in operative relation to the fixed contacts and having an elongated yieldable mounting, with means at one end for attaching it to the timer shaft of the engine for rotation thereby and at the other end provided with means for securing it on the timer shaft, with the yieldable mounting between the fastening means and the rorotation of the second named contact and the elasticity of the mounting, together with the spacing of the volute mounting from the timer shaft, cause the rotatable contact to straighten out and vary its time relation to the other contacts in accordance with the speed of rotation.

t. An automatic timer for explosion engines comprising a circular series of fixed contacts, a rotary contact in operative rela tion to the fixed contacts and provided with a mounting comprising an elastic strip at one end adapted to be made fast to the timer shaft and at the other end carrying the rotary contact, and a governor block having one end adapted to be made fast to the timer shaft and at the other end in position to engage the elastic strip to move the latter outwa-rdl by centrifugal force.

5. n automatic timer for explosion engines comprising a circular series of fixed contacts, another contact, and means for securing the second named contact to a timer shaft to rotate therewith in operative relation to the fixed contacts, said securing means comprising an elongated volute elastic strip secured at one end to the timer shaft and free at the other end for carrying the second named contact, and of a length and elasticity to encircle the timer shaft out of contact therewith and free, when rotating with the timer shaft, to advance in the direction of rotation, thereby correspondingly advancing the timer contact.

6. An automatic timer for explosion engines comprising a suitable casing with a circular series of contact segments therein, a sleeve adapted to be secured to the timer shaft, a volute elastic strip fast at one end to the sleeve and at the other end provided with a brush or contact movable into successive engagement with the contact segments, and a pivoted governor weight carricd by the sleeve and movable by centrifugal. force into engagement with the elastic strip to expand the volute, whereby the contact block carried by the volute strip is constrained by centrifugal force when the timer shaft is rotating to correspondingly advance the time of engagement with the contact segments and thereby advance the spark in accordance with increase in speed of rotation of the timer shaft.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature.

GIPP M. BREWER. Witnesses E. A. RUeoLns, HAZEL MYERS. 

